Hot Rods Olds guys help me out.

I have an almost complete Olds engine long story on how it came to be in my garage. I will tell that to Olds guys that care. Don't want to make this overly long. I'll start with what I know. Engine has front mount to fit in place of a flathead. Heads have #16 57 58 -371 Engine has adjustable rocker arms rockers are stamped with what looks like #05 on them. Heads are obviously ported on intake has what appear to be aluminum retainers. Lobes on cam appear to be pretty radical. I actually worked at Wolverine gear a hundred or so years ago so I know a little about cams. Cam has bright red Paint on shaft near front I'm thinking a makers code. Here's what I was told by guy that gave it to me again for brevity sake I'll just hit the high points if anyone wants more info they can message me. He was called to clean out a barn in Northwest Ohio about 1990 as farm was sold he ran a scrap yard near that location. When he got there one barn was filled with old tractors farm machinery a late fortys Ford coupe and this olds engine. The guy told him he and his brother had the engine in the coupe and worked on it together street raced a lot. He said his brother got drafted for Nam and never returned. said they had engine done by Seaport Automotive in Toledo. They were big back in the day. Engine had a J2 setup on it at that time. My friend hauled stuff back to his yard for several days. within a few weeks he sold the J2 setup the guy also took breather off valve cover you can see where cover was drilled. actually valley and valve covers were chromed then. Fast forward a few years he calls me says property is sold and crusher is coming. Do I want the olds engine it certainly made an ElCamino squat. Fast forward again I'm approaching my three score and ten and want to sell. Hadn't really looked it over as it had sat in my building for almost twenty years. When I move the sprint car stuff out from around it and roll it to front of garage I'm kind of stunned by what I can now obviously see. I had thought I'd just advertise it locally but after looking it over I'm convinced it is way too special for Craigs list. Need an opinion on what the rocker assembly might be. Also would I and the HAMB be better served if I sold heads and rocker arms separately. I realize complete engine limits me to someone probably within a couple hundred miles. I look forward to any commentary including but not limited to value of heads and rocker arms. Thanks

 

pics would get better replies..

are the rockers iron, or mag. 250 if good condition, and up

is it a standard shift motor with pilot bushing, does it have a standard flywheel?

look in the spark plug holes for pop up pistons

is it stuck?
.

 

I will try to post pics tomorrow. Rockers definitely aren't mag. No flywheel will check for pilot bushing.

 

lots of pics would be great.

 

Whoops, read it wrong. I thought it said Old guys. I am going to go take a nap

 

Pictures would be helpful, or at least fun to look at

 

OK I'm going to make my post or I should say my response brief because I know folks do not like like to read real long posts as that can take away from the information that is offered which of course is free of charge and if you think about it is a really good bargain considering the knowledge on the forum which the HAMB is one of the best, maybe the best to get information. Oldsmobiles are like Buicks as they are big heavy cars and have lots of chrome incidentally the 1958 Oldsmobile is rumored to have the most chrome on a production car likely enough to make 500 score or so barefoot shaped gas pedals including the matching tiny foot dimmer switch cover which is a neat accessory on a hot rod. Because of the weight of Buicks and Oldsmobiles the engines tend to have radical cam profiles compared to smaller lighter cars like Chevrolets and Fords but not as light as Willys Areos, Henry Js... I hear that a J 2 Oldsmobile engine and a Henry J was the combo to have as a drag car especially with a four speed hydramatic... and especially Crosleys or Allstates. To be Krystal ( which is my favorite burger by the way) Clear what I'm saying about cam profiles is that stock which means as it cam from the factory in regular production on heavier cars like Oldsmobiles and Buicks can have a radical looking lobe which makes that difficult or hard by visual inspection or other words just looking at the cam it is impossible to tell if it indeed is a high performance grind. There are other factors as well about your briefly described engine which I appreciate by way. From what I gather this engine was almost abandoned on a piece of property some parts taken off and left out side for a while. This engine may have indeed been an old hot rod or high performance engine but there is a chemical process called oxidation. This is a process where matter degrades by exposure to moisture and oxygen or H2O and O2. This process can best be described as burning but at a much much slower rate. The by products of this produces iron oxide which is red and crusty on steel or iron based parts and white and gritty on aluminum parts which is aluminum oxide. Sadly once an engine has been exposed to the elements for many score out in a good friends backyard unless a person is really lucky the chemical processes above can render an engine unrepairable no matter what high performance parts it once or still does have on it. Honestly it sounds perfect for Craigslist to me especially with a very brief description which is always an aid to the reader and photos blurry at 2 inches or clear at 40 feet.

 

FAIL! "OK I'm going to make my post or I should say my response brief because I know folks do not like like to read real long posts as that can take away from the information that is offered which of course is free of charge and if you think about it is a really good bargain considering the knowledge on the forum which the HAMB is one of the best, maybe the best to get information. Oldsmobiles are like Buicks as they are big heavy cars and have lots of chrome incidentally the 1958 Oldsmobile is rumored to have the most chrome on a production car likely enough to make 500 score or so barefoot shaped gas pedals including the matching tiny foot dimmer switch cover which is a neat accessory on a hot rod. Because of the weight of Buicks and Oldsmobiles the engines tend to have radical cam profiles compared to smaller lighter cars like Chevrolets and Fords but not as light as Willys Areos, Henry Js... I hear that a J 2 Oldsmobile engine and a Henry J was the combo to have as a drag car especially with a four speed hydramatic... and especially Crosleys or Allstates. To be Krystal ( which is my favorite burger by the way) Clear what I'm saying about cam profiles is that stock which means as it cam from the factory in regular production on heavier cars like Oldsmobiles and Buicks can have a radical looking lobe which makes that difficult or hard by visual inspection or other words just looking at the cam it is impossible to tell if it indeed is a high performance grind. There are other factors as well about your briefly described engine which I appreciate by way. From what I gather this engine was almost abandoned on a piece of property some parts taken off and left out side for a while. This engine may have indeed been an old hot rod or high performance engine but there is a chemical process called oxidation. This is a process where matter degrades by exposure to moisture and oxygen or H2O and O2. This process can best be described as burning but at a much much slower rate. The by products of this produces iron oxide which is red and crusty on steel or iron based parts and white and gritty on aluminum parts which is aluminum oxide. Sadly once an engine has been exposed to the elements for many score out in a good friends backyard unless a person is really lucky the chemical processes above can render an engine unrepairable no matter what high performance parts it once or still does have on it. Honestly it sounds perfect for Craigslist to me especially with a very brief description which is always an aid to the reader and photos blurry at 2 inches or clear at 40 feet."

 

Point taken. Engine was not stored outside at any point in its long history. Here are some pics. Oxidation is quite mild commensurate with engine being stored uncovered in various barns for over 50 years. Thanks for all replies.

 

Well those are McGurk rockers just like mine common but a good find these days.



Those ports haven't been cut much just rubbed a little. The heads are pre 394 rocket center bolt and not perimeter bolt.

 

It's been too long since I had Gotha rockers, and those as well as yours never had lock nuts. I never saw an Isky rocker, so I'm not sure what those are. Your pushrods do not look like what I had with my Gotha's. Gotha had a ball on the adjuster screw, so a stock Olds pushrod needed to be cut off and Gotha sold the cup type ends to press into the cut-off Olds pushrod.

You have the bumpy valve covers that Olds had made for the Nascar kit. But GM ones were painted. I think it was Isky who bought the remaining unsold GM ones, then chromed them for resale in their store catalog.

Hurst motor mounts.

I would look in the spark plug holes; I bet there is a good chance it has domed pistons
.

 

here is a 57 371 vintage race motor. These rockers are McGurk as far as I know. They had lock nuts, whereas Gotha did not.

This one also has aftermarket springs and alum retainers similar to yours. It also has domed pistons, and a very aggressive cam profile much like a roller lifter has, but it is flat tappet lifters
.

 

Those intake ports look like they were more of a port matching?? Maybe it once had an aftermarket race intake like a U-fab or a cast aluminum log manifold?

It just seems pointless to enlarge the intake ports when using a J2 intake, because it would be impossible to enlarge the intake runners, unless they ran abrasive slurry through them?
.

 

My 394 intake runners are so big you can stick your head I them. LOL The older heads were a little harder to work with.

You may be correct about your rockers being McGurks but I have never seen them with a jam nut I know for a fact that the ones I posted are McGurks. No jam nuts, interference threads, if I decide the keep the motor I will modify it for jam nuts because I am more comfortable with them that way.

 

Thanks for the pictures, looks like this was a hot motor at one time.
Bet it pushed that '40 around just fine.
Let me be the first one to say, if I were closer I'd make an offer on the whole setup.

 

Thanks Pork and beaner Mine do look exactly like yours. I wondered about the pushrod tips. I made a million pushrods when I worked at Wolverine Gear Wolverine Cams. They look like a sleeve that goes over pushrod. Someone else mentioned that. Guys on here are absolutely amazing.

 

More things I learned today. Engine is definitely not set up put a little PB blaster in cylinders and turned it about half a revolution. About the limit of my repaired shoulder. Someone asked if stick motor does have pilot bearing.. Doing a little quick and dirty math came up with 1.8 ratio on rockers. I want to apologize for my initial post being so long. I was trying to relate that what I was finding was in sync with what I was told. I wasn't told that story until just recently so I had never really looked at engine with a critical eye. I am going to remove from cart and put on my second biggest engine stand and do more looking. Thanks again you guys are amazing.

 

Thanks I wondered about valve covers. Had several 371s back in the day and didn't remember dimpled valve covers. Guys on here are amazing. What a resource!

 

Message sent

 

If you're close to an airport, and have a truck and a pallet. See if Forward Air is close to you. Hundred to 200 bucks reasonably to almost any major airport they service. Most people can stomach an hour or two drive to save 500 bucks on shipping. Some may just be lucky enough to have a hub thirty minutes from them .... like this guy. Strap to pallet, shrink wrap, and drop her off. Sell it to anyone, and everyone.

 

Thanks for the info re. Forward Air My neighbor actually repairs and builds pallets so that wouldn't be a problem. Notice Gratiot Auto Supply in your ID. I was a jobber with them in the 60s. Always got the impression they treated small timers like me that did $1,ooo a week as well as guys that did $25,000. I enjoyed my relationship with those guys!

 

Too bad they didn't make tank tops to pour ole' Linda Vaughan into ..... yes ? I've used FA for odd and heavy several times. Last time was a fully dressed BBC from Dallas to Los Angeles .... 178 dollars in 2011 monies. Yellow Freight wanted 7 bills. Yikes. Sure others will offer better solutions too. Maybe Fastenall ? I know they ship big dry items like car frames ... dunno' what a wet item like engines would be. Who knows ? Cool engine. Lotsa' rodders in your neck of the woods too. Local may be best.

 

I use Fastenal all the time as they are close to me and easy to work with. You can request a quote by merely filling out the form on their web site under services and 3rd party logistics. You do not need an acct with them to do shipping. I ship everything cod, on a pallet, strapped bolted and covered and dry. Shipped a BBC to Indiana from VT for $175 and that included full insurance.

 

Can you get a picture of inside the center exhaust port?
Interested in how they finished the cross over filler and if a devider was added.